No one else can make you feel inadequate

When I started my radio show over 14 years ago – I noticed that I felt very inadequate in the presence of some of my guests. I aimed high in the quality of my guests yet felt inferior to them. Mike De Groote was one who was quite gracious yet I made myself feel less than him. After all he was a billionaire – I was nobody. I sweated while interviewing him. Yet he was so down to earth.

The first author that I interviewed was Nuala Beck, (Shifting Gears). Again she was gracious – yet I felt small.

It took a friend of mine to point this out to me. After he listened to a tape of this interview he said, “George, you usually sound more confident.”

That woke me up and made me examine what I had been doing to myself.

After a talk with myself I came to the realization that the only way for me to approach it was to consider all my guests as equals. I was equal to them.

Not equal in net wealth – but simply equal. They were very good at what they did and so was I. So we could have a conversation as equals.

Funny how strange I felt when another billionaire expressed how impressed he was by me because I was an author. He wasn’t an author – just a billionaire.

After that epithany – my interviews became much more comfortable, natural and interesting.

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5 Responses to No one else can make you feel inadequate

George – It seems like when you realized you wanted to treat your interviews as equals, you opened your eyes more to your own approach. It seems like you realized at the end of the day, they were all people as well, just different people. Seems simple, but it is inspiring.

Wonderful presentation by Dewitt Jones at TEDxWatch it the first time to enjoy the delivery, the visuals and his inspiring message.Then watch it again to notice his technique and delivery for:Repetition of his key messageSelf-effacing humourUse of metaphor - change the lens to change your lifeSurprise - Does your camera have juice in it?Pacing and pausingThe […]